A new gel has been shown to be 30 per cent effective in reducing the incidence of AIDS during a four-year trial. The PRO2000 gel, produced by Indevus Pharmaceuticals, is being hailed as a potential way for women to protect themselves from the HIV virus. The study was conducted in South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the United States, where 3,000 women participated. According to research revealed at an AIDS conference in Montreal, Canada, the women who used the gel and condoms had a 30 per cent lower infection rate than women given a fake gel and condoms and women who were only given condoms. What researchers don’t know yet is whether women used either the gel or the condom every time they had intercourse, or if they used no contraceptive at all.